Improved street-railway



bly adapted to the purpose.

waited gnu/et' Hunt @Wina A. VAN CAMP,- OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF OOLMBIA, AND M. M HODGMAX, .OF ST. LOUIS,s MISSOURI.

Leiters Patent No. 97 ,020, dated November 16, 1869.

IMPROVED STREET-RAILWAY.

The ScI.edu1e referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all 'uf-hom it may concern:

Beit known that we, A. VAN CAMP, of NVashington city, and District of Columbia, and M. M. HODGMAN, of St. Louis, iu the' county of St. Louis, and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement "i Railways;l and we do hereby 4declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description .of the same, reference being had to the. accompanying drawing, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making part of this specification, inA which is shown a sectional view threugh the rail, clearly illustrating how the same is embedded and securely held-in the concrete. A The nature of our invention consists in securing railrozul-rails, byembedding the same in a concrete pavement orbed, composed of the composition described in my patent ofJuly 2T, 1869.

As the rails are intended to be firmly laid, without the assistance of cross-ties, spikes, or any other like applianccs,only such rails can be advantageously used as are provided with Vsuitable beaming-surfaces for the concrete' to adhere to.

The rail hereinafter described, and which is constructed with a deep centre bearing-plate, the surface of which is to be corrugated or roughened, is admira- But practical experience has fully attested the fact thatthe T-shaped, and other like rails now in common use, can readily be so embedded inconcrete as to be firmly secured therein, the form of these rails being such that the necessary bearing-surface is provided, and their tlanges, by means of which the rails are now connected to the cross-ties, becoming securely fastened in the concrete, a desirable and permanent lodgemeut is effected.

To properly secure the rail in the concrete, its entire under surface is to be completely embedded, only so much of its surface as is required for the tread of the wheel being left exposed, and it on a line o flush with the pavement or up'per surface of the bed.

After the rail has been laid, the necessary groove for the flange of the wheel to run in can readily be provided.

Practical experience has fully attested thc fact that the composition embraced in and covered by our patent of July 27, 1869, for improvement in concrete pavement-s, is admirably adapted for the purpose designed in our present invention.

lhe concrete referred to is, when once laid, entirely unyielding in its natu're, and most adhesive in its charact-er, and is unaffected by either heat or cold, rain or frost, as has been fully demonstrated by practical tests.

To `enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we willnow proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is a railroad-rail, and may be formed by casting, rolling', or by anyother suitable means.

This rail A is provided with a centre bearing-plate, A', the surfaces of which are corrugated. as seen at a a.

The rail thus constructed is entirely embedded in the concrete pavement or bed B, only so much ofthe sam'e being left exposed as is required for the tread of the wheel.

The process ofsccuring the rails is as follows:

The crushed stone or rock aud asphaltum are mixed and heated according t'o the formula, and in the manner stated in our patent of July 27, 1869.

A thin layer, i), ot' the concrete is then laidl and thoroughly rammed by the hot tamps. Ihis serves as 'a bed for the und-er surface ofthe bearingplate A", to rest on.

Aft-cr the rails have been properly seated, more of the composition, in a hot, plastic state, is poured down and rammed bythe 'ramps or other suitable implement.

rIhen afld more of the composition, and repeat .the ramming-process, or use the heated rollers, as described in our patent before referred to.

This is continued uut-il the composition, in a thoroughly compact condition, is flush with the upper surface ofthe rail. After t-he rail has been thus secured, a suitable groove, C, is formed for the fla-nge of the car-wheel to run in. This groove can vreadily be made simply by passing a thoroughly heated rod, or other suitable implement, along the side of the rail and through the composition.

Instead of the bearing-plate A', having corrugations a a, as shown, its surface may be in any other manner ronghened orlrendered uneven, the only advantage of the corrugations being to provide a surface .that has numerous recesses or iuterstices for the composition to enter and embed itself.

Having thus fully described our invention,

What we claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

The rail A, having a centre bearing-surface, A', when the same is laid or embedded iu concrete B, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

A. VAN GAM P. M. M. HODGMAN.

Wit-nesses:

EDWIN JAMES, EDM. F. BROWN. 

